Marijuana Benefits MS Patients as Other Remedies Fail

March 24 (Bloomberg) -- Marijuana, taken in pill or spray
form, helps ease certain multiple sclerosis symptoms, while
about a dozen other alternative remedies offer no benefit,
according to a report by U.S. neurologists.

Not enough research exists to say if smoking the drug helps
in MS, according to the report.

The pill or oral spray form of marijuana may help reduce
stiffness and involuntary spasms, pain from those symptoms and
frequent urination, though it doesn’t help reduce tremors, the
study published today in the journal Neurology found. The
results form the basis of new guidelines from the American
Academy of Neurology on use of alternative therapies in MS.

The guidelines are the first by the academy to say which
complementary treatments appear to work the best and which don’t
for patients with multiple sclerosis, said lead author
Vijayshree Yadav, an assistant professor in neurology at Oregon
Health & Science University in Portland. Many MS patients use
alternative therapies along with standard drugs to treat their
symptoms.

“It appears there’s little evidence for most complementary
and alternative medicine therapies to treat MS,” Yadav said in
a telephone interview. “This opens up an entire avenue for
research. It provides the impetus for researchers to design
studies so that the gap in knowledge could be addressed.”

The researchers searched the medical literature on
alternative medicine studies going back to 1970. The
recommendations were based on findings from 115 articles. Of
those only 10 were considered to have the highest level of
significance, Yadav said.

Study Lacking

Though most of the alternative treatments aren’t studied
enough to be recommended on their benefits, that doesn’t mean
they don’t work, said John Corboy, a professor of neurology at
the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, who
wasn’t an author of today’s guidelines.

“What I tell patients is if you’re using something and you
feel better and there’s not any theoretical or real reason to
think it’s hurting you and it’s not costing you a lot of money,
then there’s certainly no reason not to do it,” he said in a
telephone interview. “If, however, it’s expensive and, worse
yet, has data arguing against it or if you use it as an
alternative and not as a complementary approach, then you’re
causing yourself harm.”

Some of Corboy’s patients use marijuana candies or cooked
into brownies as an alternative to smoking to help ease their
symptoms. While a pill provides a set amount of marijuana, the
other delivery methods may not. Corboy said these products may
work best at night when the side effects are less dangerous.

Synthetic Cannabinoid

One prescription pill containing a synthetic cannabinoid
that’s approved in the U.S. is Marinol, sold by AbbVie Inc.
based in North Chicago, Illinois, for uses including treating
nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy. The spray form
of marijuana, called Sativex isn’t available in the U.S. GW
Pharmaceuticals Plc, based in the U.K., makes Sativex.

Researchers found that long-term safety of medical
marijuana in the pill or spray form is unknown since most
studies lasted only six to 15 weeks. Side effects can include
seizures, dizziness and thinking and memory problems.

Howard Lee Weiner, chief of the Division of Multiple
Sclerosis at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said the
plant form of marijuana may work just as well as the spray or
pill, although more studies are needed.

“We have to take complementary and alternative medicines
seriously,” he said today in a telephone interview. “There are
some that can help patients. You want to stay away from things
that are dangerous, that are harmful or that are expensive.”

Cannabis Laws

In the U.S., 20 states and the District of Columbia have
laws that allow doctors to authorize use of cannabis therapy for
illnesses ranging from pain and nausea to spasticity, or
stiffness and spasms and movement disorders, according to Norml,
a marijuana-reform organization. On top of that, Colorado and
Washington allow for the legal production, sale and consumption
of marijuana for non-medical purposes.

Today’s study also found that ginkgo biloba may help reduce
tiredness but not thinking and memory issues. Magnetic therapy,
where a patient lies on a mat with electronic magnetic feeds,
may also help reduce tiredness while not providing a benefit for
a patient’s depression. Reflexology may also work as well.

Bee sting therapy and a low-fat diet with fish oil used as
complementary therapies don’t appear to benefit symptoms and bee
stings may cause deadly allergic reactions and infections, the
researchers said.